


Of Silk and Flames

by TheSpace_Dragon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, acrobat lance, acrobat pidge, coran basically adopts a bunch of orphans for his circus, fic give away, fire dancer keith, i have no concept of word count, lots of pining and fluff, magician allura, magicians assistant shiro, ringleader coran, shay makes the costumes, strong man hunk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 15:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10282037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpace_Dragon/pseuds/TheSpace_Dragon
Summary: Keith always wanted to join the circus - something that most kids wouldn't dream of, but for him, it was all he thought about. Going to a circus when he was younger was his drive, but it hadn't been any kind of circus. It had been the Legendary Voltron Circus. Now that he was out of the foster system, he set to finding it, tracking it down to a small town in the middle of nowhere. After one show, it was all it took to rekindle the flame inside of him and make him join. He accomplished his dream, but he hadn't counted on falling for the acrobat in blue along the way.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Don't look at me, word counts don't exist ok? (They totally do and I tried to make this 3k, but apparently my head thought otherwise..) This is the second place prize for my fic giveaway!! I'll be posting it in two parts, just to save you readers from trudging through 10k+ of pining, because not even I can handle that sometimes. (Mostly because I didn't want to edit it all in one chunk, but can you blame me?)
> 
> So the prompt was to create a Circus AU with acrobat!Lance with as much mutual pining as I can muster, plus the rest of Team Voltron there to witness it. I tossed in some Shallura for the hell of it, mostly because I could, and from there, the fic ran away from me. So here I sit with a 6.4k fic that should honestly be 3k. But go big or go home, amiright?

Keith adjusted the strap on his bag and took the key from the hotel hostess. This was his third town in a month and after driving all day, he was exhausted. For the past few years now, he’s been skipping from one town to the next, looking for a place to belong. But when you have some crazy interests that no one really gets, it makes it hard. He was still going, though, so that counts.

He mumbled a quick thanks and headed off to his room.

To tell the truth, he was only in this town for one reason, and if it weren't for that, he would have skipped his town entirely. There was something here that caught his interest.

The Legendary Voltron Circus.

It had been around forever, Keith remembered hearing about it when he was a kid, like five or six years old. He lost track of it when he started bouncing from one foster home to the next, but now that he was on his own, he had all the time to try and track it down. Hell, it was what got him into his hobby in the first place. Tossing fire around like it was nothing but a toy wasn't exactly something he could put on a résumé. He loved it, though, teaching himself to the point where foster homes thought he was crazy and would dump him as soon as they saw him five feet within a lighter. Because at that age, he had no self-control. More than one set of curtains had to be replaced. On multiple occasions.

Keith unlocked his room and slipped inside. He dumped his bag on the armchair and collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. He was finally getting the chance to see the LVC again. He almost couldn't believe it. Years of searching and going by word of mouth from town to town across the country and finally he's caught up with them. Somewhere in the depths of his duffel bag, there was a flyer with the dates on it, surrounded by pictures of the main attractions: a magician and her assistant, the traditional Strong Man lifting obscene amounts, and a high-flying acrobat pair in the middle of an intricate routine. There was a lion, their mascot, as well a small group of mice trained to perform their own stunts. Keith smiled at that, it was a really cute idea to draw in children. He had a couple nights before their opening night, so he had the time to recuperate from the fifteen-hour drive.

He didn’t even bother to change into his night clothes, passing out on the bed moments after crawling up to a pillow.

**\---**

The next day, after waking up from a ten-hour sleep, Keith went out and explored the town. It was a small town, smaller than the last one he was in. Some place in the middle of the United States, barely a blip on the map. There was only one traffic light in the whole area, a few stop signs, but nothing the spoke of heavy traffic flow. As he walked along the sidewalk, passing a playground, listening to the children squeal and chase each other, he thought of how he was supposed to join the circus.

He knew it was a strange dream, something he stuck to since the first time he saw them, but he couldn’t help the irrational fear that ate at him. It was the anxiety of being rejected yet again. Keith was worried about a lot of things about trying to join the Legendary Voltron Circus, and most of them he could explain away, but irrational thoughts couldn’t be reasoned with. What if they weren’t as good as he remembered and he only saw a circus slowly falling apart? What if the working environment was miserable? And the ever present, what if he was told no? Keith wanted so badly to find a place to belong, to find a group that was essentially his family. But at the same time, after growing out of the foster care system, rejection was something that he knew all too well. He just didn’t want an opportunity like this to be for nothing.

Keith kept walking, wrapped up in his own head. It wasn’t a gloomy day, but the sky was overcast and the wind brisk. No threat of rain on the horizon. Cars passed, people walked by, brushing past him.

“Dammit, Keith, get yourself together,” he muttered to himself. “Just go to the opening night and see if it’s still what you want.”

A firm mental nod to himself and he turned around, heading back to the hotel, stopping and grabbing a few refrigerated meals on the way. Maybe a case of beer. But who was judging?

**\---**

When Keith walked into the main tent of the circus, it was just as he remembered. The crew greeted everyone. The Strong Man was walking around, carrying the two acrobats on his shoulders like they were parrots. Their costumes were brightly colored, and the face paint was just as bright, highlighting their features and tying their whole get up together. The magician and her assistant walked by, enjoying a pleasant conversation. People were everywhere, mingling or passing through to visit one of the other tents the circus had set up. According to the flier, they had some oddities in one tent, and another tent catered more towards the younger generation, kids always enjoyed the animal acts.

Keith edged his way towards the center of the tent. He made the decision to remain in the main tent, while the animals were interesting, he was really more curious about the main events. Ropes, swings, hoops and giant pieces of silk hung from the beams stretching across the ceiling of the tent. Blocks and various other weights were pushed off to the side. They had left tracks on the ground. Keith smirked, he guessed with the Strong Man carrying around the acrobat team, he couldn't exactly reach down and carry those away.

The lights dimmed and the show was underway.

A man with a bright orange mustache and fancy outfit greeted the whole tent. "Welcome, welcome!"

He strode from across the main circle gesturing with his hands. “I’m sure you are all aware, but this. This is the Legendary Voltron Circus!”

There was a smattering of applause all around. Keith clapped, eyeing those around him. One out of every tenth person showed an interest. Some were obviously only here for the novelty of seeing a live traveling circus. It reminded Keith how the times have changed since he was a child. He didn’t have time to dwell on it, for the ringleader began to introduce the rest of the night.

“The Strong Man, Hunk, will greet you, showcasing his strength and endurance!” The man, aptly named, Keith saw earlier walked into the tent, the acrobats he saw earlier were standing on his incredibly broad shoulders. The whole trio never wavered, the Strong Man walking unhindered and the acrobats waved smiling and greeting the crowd.

"Our magical duo, the Alluring Allura, and her assistant, Master Shiro, will follow, showing you the wonders of magic, sure to blow your mind!" Just like the Strong Man, the magician and her assistant walked into the ring, greeting the crowd with warm smiles. The woman, Allura, fluttered her cape and white doves flew out, the crowd oohing and ahhing. Shiro followed suit, pulling a white rabbit out of his sleeve. Keith heard kids cooing for the rabbit, and Shiro was kind enough to walk the perimeter of the ring, letting the smaller crowd pet it before moving back to the center where the ringleader was waiting.

"We will take a small intermission, to allow you to peruse the rest of the wonders of our legendary circus, but when the clock strikes ten, return here for the gravity defying display our acrobat team has worked very hard on. Our high fliers have something new in store for you, ladies and gentlemen." The ringleader smirked, mustache quirking.

The acrobats leaped off of the Strong Man’s shoulders, cartwheeling around. One was a tall lanky male, an easy smile on his face. The other was a shorter woman, a messy mop of hair, giving her a wild air. She smiled just as brightly as her partner. The man picked her up by the waist and lifted her up to stand on one of his hands. It was a smooth graceful move, executed with perfection, but the man’s easy smile tightened, showing his concentration.

Just by the way they were dressed, Keith could tell that they were the finale for a reason. Bright colors, sequins, and glitter everywhere. They danced with light in every way they moved. The audience was enraptured by them, and they haven't even performed yet.

The smaller of the two jumped off of the man’s hand, somersaulting and popping back up to her feet. The two of them waved and bowed briefly before leaving, quickly followed by the magician pair, leaving the strong man in the middle with the ringleader.

“And now… the Strong Man!”

If Keith was being honest, the man looked nice enough, and clearly, the passion for this showed in his routine, but Keith wasn't feeling it. The acrobat pair caught his attention. That man, his smile drew people in, his eyes were bright and open. Something that couldn't be said for Keith. Growing up in the foster system made him skeptical of everything, but the one constant he had in his life was knowing this circus was still going.

The Strong Man’s routine went on for about ten minutes by himself before a small group of clowns came out to join him. He tossed them around like they were toys, rolling when they hit the ground, never suffering an injury. Trained stuntmen. Keith could appreciate that the circus took the time to make the routines enjoyable. He had seen other circuses simply keep to the traditional Strong Man act: a single man in the ring, lifting what could only be perceived as insane amounts and tossing them around as if they were nothing. The Legendary Voltron Circus added the clowns, keeping the audience’s attention.

After about another ten minutes, the clowns and the Strong Man left with a flourish. Bowing and waving, smiles ever present. Keith grinned back. He could almost see himself with these people. As they left the ring, the Strong Man picked up one of the youngest clowns – they looked to be no more than a child – and tossed them in the air, the child squealing with delight. Their camaraderie was palpable. Keith came to a circus and instead of finding the stereotypical carnies of movies, he found a family. Literally.

The magician and her assistant came out next, more bright smiles and waves. As much as Keith wanted to pay attention to their act, he couldn’t. The flashes reminded him of the acrobat, the bright silks of the never ending handkerchiefs making Keith imagine him flying through the air. Before he knew it, their act was over, applause ringing out. She and her assistant shared a hug as they left.

And now it was time for an intermission.

It was only 9 pm. He had an hour to kill. Slowly the crowd left the main tent to meander about. Keith followed. He had no idea what he was going to do during that time. He wandered. Most of the people attending the opening night of the circus were interested in seeing everything, but Keith had a ticket for the second night as well.

He hung around the back of the tent, out of the way. The crew was running back and forth from the tent and one of the trailers. Equipment was lugged in while the props from the previous acts were hauled back to the trailer.

“You know, even if you’re old, you’re missing out on Voltron the lion,” a voice crooned.

Keith jumped and stepped away from the voice.

It was the acrobat. He was grinning easily, blue alight with mischief.

He was even more stunning up close. He had a long body, long limbs, and legs that went on forever. He was lithe but corded with muscle. Keith was sure that he could give him a run for his money in a lifting contest. His face made for smiling, eyes sparkling in the dark as he flashed Keith with his incredibly bright teeth.

Shaking himself out of his slight stupor, Keith shrugged and looked away, lest he is blinded by the acrobat's smile again. "The lion's cool, but not really my thing."

“So you’re going to stand out here and watch us set for me and Pidge? Kinda takes away from the surprise man.” The acrobat crossed his arms, still smirking.

Keith shrugged again, looking at the acrobat out of the corner of his eye. “Surprises aren’t really my thing.”

The acrobat laughed and shrugged. "Fair enough, I can't force you to go anywhere else." He turned to walk into the tent. "I'll see you around, pretty boy."

Keith choked and stared after the acrobat.

 _Pretty boy…_?

**\---**

The clock struck ten and Keith was in the main tent first. He snagged a spot right outside of the ring. The acrobat, the one with the sparkling blue eyes and dazzling smile. He drew Keith in like a moth drawn to a flame. He couldn’t stop himself from trying to be as close as possible, and Keith wanted to desperately fall back into the crowd and disappear. When the acrobat caught sight of him, his smile widened, and Keith felt a blush warm his face. There was no getting out of this now, the tent was full and he was pressed forward more. All the rafters were full, there was only standing room left.

The acrobat was dressed in a blue and sparkling outfit – something he should have noticed the first – but the outfit brought out his eyes, they practically glowed. Even from this distance, Keith could see the brilliant blue.

He stood near the darker blue silk curtains, raised on a platform. His partner was standing near the dark green ones, matching his outfit but in green. Music started, mystical and slow. But they climbed the silks with a quick pace, rising at twice the rate of the music. Keith was right, the blue acrobat was much stronger than he looked, same with his partner. The beat dropped, bass reverberating through the tent. And their routine started.

Keith forgot all about the other half of this routine, anyone that wasn't the blue acrobat faded into the background. He wound himself in the silks, matching the rhythm of the music, slow and sensual. Keith felt like the performance was transporting him to another world, another dimension. His mouth was open, and he felt like was five years old all over again. This. This was it. This was the wonder he was looking for his whole life, ever since that first time he came to the circus. It was nostalgic, dredging up emotions he thought he locked away long ago. He clenched his hands into fists and closed his mouth, but firmly kept his attention on the blue acrobat.

After a few moments, the slow music stopped and both acrobats came back to solid ground, barely even out of breath. Applause exploded, cheers and whistles echoing throughout the tent – if a tent could echo. Keith was surrounded by sudden noise, startling him out of his daze.  He looked around, seeing most of the people in the rafters standing and calling for an encore.

It was amazing. That a simple show on silks was enough to draw in the crowd like this. And it had only taken a few moments. There was no way that was it.

Keith turned back to the ring and locked gazes with the blue acrobat. The smile was there, blinding and dazzling. He was so far gone, and he didn’t even know the other’s name. Was this him finding where he belonged? He belonged with an easy on the eyes acrobat and a traveling circus. Keith didn’t believe in fate, but the way his heart was racing in his chest was driving him insane.

The acrobats lifted their arms in unison and bowed, but they didn't leave the ring. They moved to a set of ladders, climbing to the top. They stood to face each other on opposite platforms, both grabbing a swing bar.

A new set of music and then they were flying. The green acrobat was flung about as if she was nothing, the blue acrobat there to always catch her before she fell to the ground. Keith noted how the bars kept swinging, almost as if they were weighted to maintain their momentum once either of the acrobats left them. But they always returned before its own momentum was lost, and using their bodies to create more. It was more magical than the magician’s act, and she had been just as astounding in her own right.

But there was something about flying through the air, with no safety net he noticed and trusting your partner to catch each and every time. The green acrobat had the ultimate trust in the blue one. Keith couldn't fathom trusting someone that much. He had been let down too many times in his life, let himself get too close to one family only for them to find out his pyro tendencies and return him before he could blow out a candle. His hands itched to dance with fire, but he couldn't. Too many times people got the wrong idea, too many times he had to tell the police that ‘no, he wasn't trying to set the park on fire'. Anger bubbled up, only to be quelled by the quick looks the blue acrobat was giving his way, in between catches and throws.

Then, before he knew it, they were both standing on the ground, proud smiles in place as they caught their breath. The tent was silent in the seconds following the set piece before the crowd lost it. This routine had taken much more effort than the silks. Again they bowed, gracefully accepted the cheers they received, and again they didn’t leave the ring.

Keith cast a glance to the back entrance, catching the rest of the crew and the ringleader all watching the acrobats. More proud smiles and applause from them. Keith felt the seed of jealousy plant itself in his chest and he wished that it hadn’t. He didn’t want this family to be the reason why his night was soured. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t.

He stamped down the feeling as the acrobats stepped up to another pair of platforms, hoops above them. When they started, Keith was suddenly aware that the blue acrobat was right in front of him, spinning and climbing all sorts of directions on the hoop. The green acrobat mirroring him on the other side of the ring. Then he was swinging. Each pass bringing him closer and closer to Keith.

There was no way he could move, his feet were planted to the ground, and he was helpless as the blue acrobat swung closer and closer, this coy smirk never faltering, and Keith’s blush growing each swing.

On the final pass, when they were nearly nose to nose, and the was the slight pause at the apex of the swing – that slight hesitation before gravity pulled you back down- the blue acrobat winked and flew away. If Keith hadn’t been smitten before, he was now. And all it took was a confident smile and wink in his direction. Fucking hell, he was thirsty. He blinked and watched the acrobat move through the rest of his routine. Was he really ready to pursue this? To join a circus and do what he always wanted to do? To finally be accepted?

Keith shuddered. The feeling was there, that innate fear of being rejected, but he had to take that step. He had to. If he didn’t, he would never find out.

The show ended and the roar of the crowd was exhilarating. When the first round died out, the rest of the crew came out, including the animals and their trainers from the other tent and the crowd sounded their gratitude through applause and cheers. The night ended on a great note, and by the time Keith got home, the residual excitement still hadn’t worn off.

The legendary Voltron Circus was just as good as he remembered. It made him giddy, light as if he could float off of the bed. He could feel how the crew wanted to be there, how they all supported each other. He had seen how talented they all were and he could see the possibilities of having all of that encouragement surrounding him. Keith could only imagine what it would be like to have that.

He sighed and rolled onto his side, staring at the clock on the bedside table, the numbers glowing blue. Even with all the excitement of the rest of the circus, the blue acrobat really stole the show for him. He was just so...charismatic and passionate, it drew Keith in, whether he liked it or not. And it wasn’t that he didn’t like it, he did, but there was still that nagging voice in the back of his head that convinced him of not being worth it. He rolled back over and sighed.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

**\---**

The next night was much like the last. Keith wandered around the circus more, but this time he was trying to avoid the blue acrobat. He didn’t know what it was about that man that made him feel so… he couldn’t even describe it. His heart raced, his face would flush, and he could feel his tongue thicken. And he hated that feeling, but he wasn’t about to waste his ticket by not coming.

Really, him coming for the second night in a row was more to solidify his decision of showing up the next day before their last show and join them. He had worked a routine out with his own equipment throughout the day, and his shoulders were slightly stiff from how lazy he had been this past week, but it was nothing that he couldn’t handle.

Throwing flames around was about as exciting as watching the blue acrobat. He had no clue what he would do if he saw the man up close again. Was it considered weird to come back just to stare at one man? He knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid it so Keith made the smart decision to sneak into the show and keep to the back of the crowd. The acrobat still smiled, just like last night. But if Keith was looking closely - and he wasn’t - the acrobat’s smile didn’t dazzle like last night.

Their show didn’t run quite as long as this time, they forwent the silks and stuck with the swing bars and hoops. In replacement of that, they had a floor routine, performing intricate tumbling passes, mirroring each other. Not really dazzling, but amazing nonetheless.

Keith strived to look at everything with a critical eye, noting how the routines went, how each member of the circus interacted with each other. And from what he could see, they were a family. The Strong Man actually had kids it looked like, a pair of twins that were at most four years old. The magician and her assistant eyed each other but never made a move. It was funny to watch two confident, beautiful people become so shy at the mention of the other outside of the ring. Then there were the acrobats. They seemed to have a sibling like relationship, not the romantic one that Keith had seen throughout the years. Many circuses had pairs that performed together who were involved behind the scenes. It was interesting that these two, who outside of the tent bickered to no end, to trust each other explicitly enough to through each other through the air.

It gave him hope, but at the same time, it worried him. What would that do if he wasn’t accepted?

**\---**

Lance collapsed into the trailer couch. The floor routine always took the most out of him. He had no idea how Pidge managed to do it without even batting an eye. Sure, he was flexible and strong enough to do that sort of thing, but he long legs, some flips were really hard.

He sighed and eyed the time on his phone. Midnight. It took a long time to clean up the tents enough for them to rest the next day, but that wasn’t what was really getting to him.

No, what he really wanted to was to see that ‘I don’t like surprises’ pretty boy from the opening night. He held himself in that guarded way he had seen so many times with people joining Voltron Circus. His eyes had screamed of interest and wariness. Lance knew he wanted to join, but it seemed strange that he hadn’t shown up the second night to scope them out more. It’s what he did, what Allura and Shiro had done, and what plenty of others had done before they joined.

Pidge plopped down next to him, tossing her feet across his lap. “So. Who are you mooning after this time? That blonde with the green eyes in the front row? She was eyeing you up in down like no one’s business.”

Lance quirked an eyebrow at her, utterly confused. “Who?”

In truth, he really didn’t know who Pidge was talking about; he had been too busy scanning the crowd for a set of dark, intense eyes to really care about who had been checking him out.

“Blonde? Big and busty?” Lance’s expression didn’t budge and Pidge sighed, tossing her head back and slumping into the couch. “Ok, so it wasn’t her. Good thing too, I’m pretty sure she was using store bought blonde dye anyways. Bleach even. I don’t know. Her hair looked like straw anyways.”

Lance rolled his eyes and went back to scrolling through his phone.

“But that still doesn’t make you not distracted. Your grip slipped tonight and I nearly had a heart attack, Lance.” Pidge jabbed her toes into his stomach.

“Ow! Pidge, dammit, cut your toenails!” Lance shoved her feet off his lap and went back to his phone. “And I wasn’t distracted-” He was. “- and your hands were sweaty.” They weren’t.

Pidge narrowed her eyes at him. “Riiight, so who were you looking for in the crowd? That guy you gushed about and flirted with during the hoop section?”

Lance scowled and looked away, blushing. “None of your business, Pidge.”

She chuckled and patted his knee. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. He was there, just in the back. And he should be around tomorrow.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Tomorrow’s our relaxation day, and then we have one more show before we head off to the next place.” Pidge stood up and planted her hands on her hips. “And he wouldn’t have come back a second night and stare at you the whole time if he wasn’t serious about joining.”

Lance blubbered as she left, laughing without a care in the world. Damn, why was she like this?

**\---**

The next day, the guy proved Pidge right. He had shown up with a duffle bag and dressed in a pair of joggers and a loose hoodie.

And of course, Lance had been out getting groceries for the whole crew. He looked ridiculous checking out with a full shopping cart, heading out to put it all away, and then coming back in to do it all over again. He had to get enough food for a small army of people, and that required a lot of food.

So, true to fashion, he showed up as the guy was in the middle of his routine. He had stripped of his hoodie, and god damn… those muscles should be illegal. Lance knew he was fit, but this guy looked like he was on another level, like edging into Shiro’s territory.

He was tossing fireballs around like they were nothing, juggling them and flipping them about. They flew a good four to five feet in the air, just high enough to be level with the swings. Coran and Allura were there watching him with a critical eye. Coran was stroking his mustache, and Allura had her arms crossed.

He used no music, but danced with the fire and created his own song. The swish of the flames, that flickering light dancing across his skin…it was honestly too much. Lance knew he was staring, but there was no way he could tear his gaze away.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Hunk was there, Shay and the twins in tow. Shiro was standing by with a fire extinguisher, but his jaw was dropped in awe. Pidge was smirking over where Hunk was. She had the ‘I told you so’ look on her face, directed over at him. Not that he could deny her, he knew he was going to show up, but him taking so long to show up caused Lance to mope around. Hence why he was shuttled off to go grocery shopping.

The fire dance twisted and turned, flames trailing after him. He tossed the flaming bar into the air, pulled off a perfect illusion spin and caught it. He held a pose, feet together and one arm extended, palm up, and the other was holding the bar diagonal across his chest, one ball of flame hovering near his shoulder and the other on the opposite hip. It was a strong pose, dynamic in its simplicity.

And then he was moving again, pulling the bar away to hang down at his side. He was panting and covered in sweat, skin reflecting the light from each of the fires. God, Shay was going to have a field day making costumes for him. Fire looked good on him.

He gathered himself, waiting for Coran to say something. Everyone was. The twins were quiet, Pidge was staring at Coran, Hunk and Shay were holding hands. Lance could feel his breath catch, his heart ached. What was it about this man that made Lance wish he was with them? Lance couldn’t figure it out. The only things he knew about him were he didn’t like surprises and he could dance with fire – literally.

“Hmm, that was…” Coran started. He tapped his chin, thinking of the right word, leaving everyone who was watching on the edge of their seats. “Astounding!”

The dancer’s mouth dropped open. As did everyone else’s.

Coran continued into the silence. “You’re sure you wish to join us, my boy?”

The man grabbed a scorched rag from his bag and smothered the flaming ends of the bar. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

Coran clapped his hands together. “Then it’s settled then. Keith, go with Shiro, he will show you around and get you settled in one of the trailers, no point in you sleeping in your truck when we have plenty of beds. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to work you into the schedule for tomorrow night, but we can work you in for the next stop, how’s that?”

Keith looked like most of that went over his head, but he nodded anyways, eyes wide. Lance could feel his anxiety melting away. Coran always had a flare for the dramatics, and his waiting made it feel like he was going to reject the new guy - Keith. His name was Keith. Somehow that really fit the guy with a messy ponytail, soot marks on his hands, and abs that he would love to get his-

"Lance, you're drooling and he's coming this way," Pidge whispered, an all-knowing smirk on her face.

"Fuck!" Lance hastily wiped his mouth and started to head over to the food trailer, fighting down his blush. Pidge was hot on his heels.

He seriously needed to get a hold of himself. He’s only seen this guy once, twice really. And he felt like a freaking high schooler? What was he? Thirteen?

Pidge skipped out in front of him, walking backward to tease him. "Sooo, what do you think of the new guy?"

“Pidge, can we not?”

“Nope, we are, spill the beans Mr. I-Can’t-Keep-My-Eyes-Off-Him.” Lance groaned and turned the other way.

He was heading to the trailers, where they all slept, lucky to have one by himself. Some of the people who had joined after him had left, leaving him to sleep alone most nights. Sometimes Pidge would crash with him just because her trailer was full of other girls and they could be too loud for the little acrobat to handle.

He was trudging his way to the steps, and just as he was about to open it, Shiro was standing right in front of him.

Oh fuck.

"Hey, Lance! Ready to meet your new bunkmate?" Shiro's words were completely friendly, but the smirk spoke other things. Fucking hell, Pidge told him, somehow. When, he had no idea, but word traveled fast in a traveling circus.

Lance swallowed hard. “Uh, sure, is it that new guy from earlier?”

“Yup, his name’s Keith! Can I leave him with you? Allura wanted to go over a few new tricks for tomorrow night’s show. Thanks, Lance, play nice!” Without even waiting for Lance to respond, he stepped out of the trailer and disappeared.

Lance blinked and took a steadying breath before climbing inside. Keith stood there, in a tank top this time, and hair still in the messy ponytail from earlier.

“Hey.”

Keith looked up from his duffel bag. “Hey.”

And here comes the awkward.

Lance had no idea what to do, or even say. Neither did Keith by the way he was fidgeting with his bag. The acrobat toed the ground, playing with his fingers. The silence stretched as the both of them avoided saying anything. Multiple times Lance would look over to Keith and catch him staring. Then not two minutes later, Keith would catch him doing the same thing. What was he supposed to say? Welcome – well, guess he could.

He sighed and bit the bullet. “So, welcome to the circus.”

Keith gave him a small smile – just barely a quirk of his lips. “Thanks, always wanted to be here.”

“What, really?” Who actively wanted to join the circus? Lance had a high school diploma and tried to make it in gymnastics before giving up and joining Voltron.

“Yeah.” Keith shrugged and pulled out a baton. “Not like I could fit in anywhere else and play with fire all day.”

Lance noticed that each end was covered in a binding, scorched in a few places, but still intact. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the trailer. “So, lemme get this straight: you’ve always wanted to be part of a circus? Why?”

Keith flipped the baton through his fingers with practiced ease, so smooth that Lance barely saw any movement in his wrist. “Sorta. It was better than school or foster homes.”

Lance hummed and looked away. "Sorry to hear about that. But this place is family for everyone, so hopefully, you'll feel like this is home."

The fire dancer looked up, surprise on his face. God, Lance could get lost in those eyes forever. Keith’s were bright, filled with hope.

“How close are you guys?”

Keith looked so open. Lance wondered if he ever actually had a family that kept him. Judging by the fact that he had a beat up F-150 from the 90s and only a duffel bag worth of clothes, probably not. He smiled and walked over to his bunk, falling on top of it. He stared at the bed above him as he started to explain.

“Oh, I’d say we are pretty close. Hunk and Shay are married and they have twins. Allura and Shiro were in a pretty bad place before Coran found them and offered to get them out of all the shit they were in. Pidge is a runaway and pretty much my little sister.” Lance ticked each of them off with his fingers. “And then there’s Coran who just takes us all in. He’s kinda like our crazy uncle, who pays us. So you really can’t lose.”

“So what about you? What brought you here?”

Lance made a face, a mix between a scowl and a wince. “Eh, had nothing better to do, ya know? So I joined the circus.”

He glanced over at Keith and the other man looked nonplussed. “You joined a circus because you were bored. What even got you into acrobatics?”

“Gymnastics. Did it since I was little, but was never able to take it anywhere.” Lance shrugged and crossed his legs. He didn’t miss the way Keith’s eyes flicked over to them and back to his face.

He smirked.                                                                                                                                                                      

Keith rolled his eyes and turned back to his bag. "Let me guess, you tried for the Olympics, didn't you."

Lance’s smirk bloomed into a smile. “Ding ding ding! Me and Hunk both actually. He went for weightlifting and I tried for men’s gymnastics.”

“Doesn’t that make you, I don’t know, overqualified for just being an acrobat?”

Lance sat up, swinging his feet to the ground, and fixing Keith with a serious look. “The point of this circus isn’t that you’re good enough to join, pretty boy. It’s about finding a place to belong. We all wandered, some more than others, sure, but the point is that this is a place of acceptance and no one is going to judge you for who you are.” He broke out into a rueful grin. “Well, maybe everyone except Pidge won’t judge you, only because Pidge judges everyone, even Hunk who is too pure and can do no wrong. Literally.”

Keith laughed, smiling fully for the first time since he showed up. It did weird things to Lance’s stomach, making it lurch and roll before settling.

The dancer looked over at Lance, smile still in place and eyes sparkling.

"Looks, like I found a home then."

“Guess you did.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yall can scream at me on my tumblr: [thespace-dragon](http://thespace-dragon.tumblr.com/)


End file.
